


One Son, Three Fathers

by Wittywit



Series: Red Hood VS Robin [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Bruce Wayne is a Bad Parent, Damian Wayne is Bad at Feelings, Damian Wayne is Robin, Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne Bonding, Dick Grayson and Jason Todd are Siblings, Dick Grayson is Damian Wayne’s Parent, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Gen, Jason Todd & Damian Wayne Bonding, Jason Todd is Damian Wayne's Parent, Jason Todd is Damian's biological father, Other, Police Officer Dick Grayson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:01:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24735838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wittywit/pseuds/Wittywit
Summary: After Ras al Ghul’s death, Talia brings Damian to the Wayne manor, in order to reveal the secret she kept for the last ten years.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Talia al Ghul & Jason Todd, Talia al Ghul/Bruce Wayne
Series: Red Hood VS Robin [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1819420
Comments: 78
Kudos: 487





	1. Prologue: The Cover Up

Talia al Ghul was walking under the dimly lit street lights of Gotham City. A small boy, that didn’t look a day over the age of ten, hanging from her arm.

  
“A young, vulnerable woman, walking in the middle of the night, accompanied only by a defenseless child”, is how she hoped she appeared like to the countless invisible sets of eyes, watching her every move from the shadows of Gotham City. She was in a bad mood and maybe slicing a few throats along the way could help her fix that. Her son could use some cheering up, too. Damian didn’t know it yet, but these would be his last few moments living under the rules of the assassins. He would soon enter a world he didn’t know existed and would be forced to follow a moral code that went against every fiber of his being. Yes, her boy deserved a last slaughter…

  
But, to Talia’s great dismay, even the Gotham lowlifes, knew when it was time for them to keep their distance. One glance at the pair and even the craziest crook, would instantly know that this was no ordinary lady, and the little one next to her was no ordinary child.  
It was almost midnight when Talia and Damian made it to the Wayne Manor without encountering a single living soul on their way. Talia stood still before the heavy gate. Batman could see her, she felt him. A few moments later, the gate clicked open by itself.

  
Talia drew a deep breath.

  
If Damian didn’t know any better, he would swear she looked nervous. But this could never be. His mother was always strong. Even while facing the Death himself, she remained calm and calculated. Talia al Ghul had no weaknesses, and for that, he owed her to be just as strong.

  
She pushed the gate aside, and walked in front, knowing that Damian would follow her.

The “click-clack” of her high heels as she walked the distance between the gate and the great entrance of the manor, ringing in her ears, each step making her more and more sick. By the time she faced Alfred Pennyworth, she had barely managed to collect herself.

“Miss Talia,” Alfred motioned the company of two, inside the manor, trying to stop himself from constantly looking down at the boy. “Mr. Wayne is expecting you in his office”.

“Stay here.” Talia ordered her son, and with those words took off by herself towards the direction of Bruce’s office.

It had been years since the last time she walked across the manor by herself. Eleven years to be exact. But nothing seemed to have changed. In a world full of uncertainty and rapid change, she loved the never ending energy of doom and depression in the air of the Wayne manor, mixed with the smells of dust and mold. It brought back feelings and some of the fondest memories of her young life. The same memories she came now to burn out of existence.

“I didn’t expect to ever see you here again” said Bruce Wayne, closing his office door, as soon as Talia stepped inside.

“Ras al Ghul is dead” she announced.

There was a long pause in which neither of them knew how to proceed.

“I’m sorry for your loss. Who is the boy?” Bruce finally asked. You didn’t have to be the greatest detective in world to know that whoever this child was, he was the reason Talia found herself at his doorstep after eleven years. “Is he yours?”

Talia drew another deep breath, collecting herself. “I told him he was here to meet his father”.

Bruce’s face didn’t falter. His constant look of vague displeasure remained unchanged; though he was very glad that information found him seated.

Talia decided to take him out of his misery sooner rather than later, as she could almost see his mind racing, adding and subtracting numbers between the last time the two of them were intimate and the age he assumed Damian was.

“Jason” She announced and watched as even the little remaining color, drained off of Bruce’s face. As much as he didn’t like the idea of being that boy’s father, this alternative bothered him even more.

“Jason?” His voice came out calmer than he expected. “Jason is his father?”

Talia nodded.

“When?”

“After I brought him back to life,” Talia began, “I saved him for you. For us! Knowing what his death had done to you, I wanted to fix everything. But after you turned your back to the League of Assassins, Jason became a weapon in our hands. Ras… My father, wanted an heir to his legacy as much as he wanted revenge against you. Jason… Jason… was perfect to get both. I loved him” Talia said, almost apologetically, “and he loved me. Or at least he thought it was love… He needed me, and I liked to be needed.”

“Does he know?”

“No” Talia shook her head, “As soon as I found out I was expecting, I made a deal with father, and took Jason to Ducra and the All Caste. For his own good.” She added quickly.

“And what do you want from him now? He’s a bigger mess than he was back then.” Bruce could slowly feel rage growing inside his chest, ready to explode.

“Ras al Ghul is dead, Bruce. I need to protect his legacy! And that includes Damian. But I can’t do it all on my own. I can’t lead the Assassins and be a mother!”

“Jason can’t protect the boy. He can’t even protect himself at the moment!” Bruce yelled. Last time he saw Jason, he was trying to kill him. He was looking to avenge his death at the hands of Joker, and hurt Bruce in any way he knew how. Jason was only a shadow of the man he used to be. He was no father.

* * *

Damian was sitting by himself in the drawing room. It had been an hour since Talia left him. From the office, he could sometimes hear yelling and what had to be the sound of a particularly heavy vase, meeting the floor. But mostly it was just silence.

  
In front of him, on the table, sat a plate of chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk; brought to him by the thousand year old, butler, Alfred Pennyworth. Damian didn’t touch any of it. He didn’t know where he was and who these people were. For all he knew, this food was poisoned. In fact, the only thing Damian knew, was that today would be the day he would finally meet his father. The day he was waiting for years.

  
Although he admired his father with all his heart and soul, he didn’t know much about him. That included his name. Talia mentioned him a few times while he was growing up; she told him his father was special, brave, strong, a prince in his own right, and a true survivor. He was perfect and because of that, he should be too. He should bring honor to his parents, to his name, and to his legacy. He could feel his stomach turn with the nerves and excitement, just thinking of the destiny that was waiting for him right around the corner. The man he was bound by fate to become.

  
The door finally creaked open and two pairs of shoes made their way into the drawing room. The boy instantly sprung up to his feet, just in time to see his mother enter the room. By her side was standing a large man with broad shoulders. He looked up at his face, trying to read him, but to no avail. The man just stood there, tense and distant.

Talia walked to her son, with the man always by her side.

“Damian, meet your father, Bruce Wayne”


	2. One Year Later

Damian woke up to the sound of his alarm. Any normal eleven year old in his place would hit the snooze button and continue his sleep, but Damian Wayne was no normal eleven year old. He instantly ripped off his covers and jumped onto the floor, in order to kick start a brand new day.

300 crunches, 300 push-ups, and 300 pull-ups, followed by a half hour of meditation. By the time Damian had finished his workout, the sun was already up and about, despite it being only six in the morning. Bludhaven was definitely different from Gotham in that regard.

He quietly tiptoed across the hallway to the bathroom, being extra careful while passing Dick’s bedroom. Dick had always been a workaholic for as long as Damian knew him, but since moving to Bludhaven four months ago, he somehow managed to outdo himself.

During the day, Dick worked as a cop; trying to clean the system from the inside, by going after criminals and dirty police officers alike; and during the night, he was Nightwing and continued his war against crime, in ways Dick Grayson wasn’t allowed to. He could definitely use a couple hours of sleep…

“Good morning, Sunshine!” Dick’s cheerful voice came from the kitchen, stopping Damian dead on his tracks. “Ready for school?”

“I thought you’d be sleeping.” The smell of freshly made banana pancakes punched Damian on the nose, the moment he stepped inside the kitchen.

“Sleep is for the w… w…weak!” said Dick with a yawn. “Hurry up and get ready, or you’ll be late for your first day!”

Damian rolled his eyes, and continued his way to the bathroom.

It’s been a little over a year since the night his mother left him at the Wayne manor, forcing him to enter a world he didn’t belong in.

Damian never particularly enjoyed human company. He didn’t need to. He was a man with a mission and a destiny to fulfil; making friends was not part of the plan. But life inside the manor turned out to be excruciatingly lonely, even for someone like him.

Everything that once gave meaning to his life was a mistake, according to his father. And it wasn’t long until his very existence felt like a mistake, too.

Bruce Wayne had rules and a moral code different than his own, and for that, he despised him. Damian could see it in his eyes every time he would spare a look in his direction. To the great Batman, this boy was nothing but a monster. Not much different than the ones he hunted every night. It was only a matter of time until he would have to catch him, too.

He would never dare to admit it, even to himself, but the biggest gift his father ever gave him, was his death. The day Batman died, Damian cried himself to sleep. But these weren’t the tears of a son who lost his beloved father. They were tears of anger. He was angry of his failure. He failed to be worthy and for that, his destiny, the thing that mattered most, was now uncertain.

That was until Dick became Batman.

Dick gave him what his father denied him. He gave him Robin and with that, he also gave him purpose and a place in the world and in the family. Dick didn’t judge him and trained him with a level of patience only he had. He taught him to combine Batman’s teachings with the ones from the League of Assassins and use them to do good in this world. Because from that moment on, this would be his destiny.

After his father came back to life, the smell of doom and depression quickly returned to the manor, forcing Dick to leave and re-invent his identity, after having spent the last 8 months being Batman.

Tim left, too. He went to college. Or at least that’s what he claimed; however, Damian was sure he was lying.

The two of them shared a relationship far from ideal, but after Tim left, the energy in the manor became simply unbearable. So, for the last two months, in an effort to avoid the manor as much as possible, Damian started to split his time between the Teen Titans Tower in San Francisco and Dick’s tiny apartment in Bludhaven.

* * *

The boy finished his shower and quickly got dressed. When he entered the kitchen, Dick was in the middle of failling to catch a pancake that he had thrown in the air a few moments ago.

Damian sighed as he watched the poor banana pancake meet the floor with a surprisingly loud ‘splats’. Ah… Dick and his tricks, everything always had to be a performance with this guy.

“ _I can flip myself… Why can’t I flip a pancake_?” Dick cried to himself as he was picking the pancake up from the floor and then proceeded to throw it directly into his mouth. “Five-second rule!” he answered to the judgmental look on Damian’s face and quickly added, “You might want to change your clothes.”

“Why? What’s wrong with my clothes?” asked Damian, straightening his tie, before taking a seat at the kitchen counter.

“They’re fine… They’re just a little too _formal_ for a Bludhaven public school. Something more casual, might help you fit in better.” Said Dick, even though he knew that the clothes would be very low on the list of reasons why Damian would find it hard to fit in with the rest of the Bludhaven 6th graders.

“I don’t need to fit in with a bunch of _children_. It’s about time somebody brought in some quality to that place” spoke Damian with his usual air of arrogance, and began examining the pancakes in front of him, “I hope these ones are safe for consumption”

“Yeah, I hope so too… if you find an egg shell in there, _it’s for good luck_ ” Dick smiled brightly, and put a couple pancakes on Damian’s plate. “I was thinking…” he started cautiously.

“That’s new!” Damian interrupted him.

“Ha! Nice one,” the man left a little snort, but quickly changed his tone to match the stern look on his face. “So, I was thinking… maybe, you don’t have to go back to San Francisco next week, since you’re starting school here and all –“

“There are plenty of schools in San Francisco” said Damian matter-of-factly.

“I know… but –“

“I have to be Robin!” The boy put down his fork and now looked ready to protest. His father had benched him, always choosing Tim and Batgirl over him. The Teen Titans was the only chance he had to be Robin.

“Yes! And you can still do that! Here!" Dick leaned over the counter in order to take a closer look at the boy, "with me…”

“You want me to stay in Bludhaven for good?” Damian asked in complete disbelief.

“It would be nice,” Dick tried to cover his smiled by taking a sip of his coffee, “you know, I can really use a _Batman_ by my side”

The boy nodded. “That’s true. You can’t even flip a pancake… But what will father say?”

A part of Damian hoped that his father wouldn’t agree. He wished his father would yell and order him to return back to Gotham in an instant! Not because he didn’t want to stay in Bludhaven. In fact, there was nothing in the world he wanted more than to stay with Dick. But, it would be nice to know that his father wanted him home…

Dick knew how to read people, especially Damian, so he chose his next words very carefully, “I’m sure he won’t like it… but I’ll fight for you.”

Damian could almost feel his ears turn red. “Okay, then," he pushed his head up confidently and looked Dick directly in the eye, "I can stay here and help you.”

Dick laughed and ruffled the kid’s hair, “do you want a hug?”

“Do you want a punch?” Damian quickly pulled himself away, like a cat that knew it was time for his annual bath, clenching both tiny fists.

Dick didn’t have time to answer the question, when a knock came from the front door. The two of them exchanged an equally confused look. 

Damian reached into his sock to reveal a 5 inch blade, which he was probably planning to take with him to school, while Dick went to answer the door.

A few moments later, Jason’s voice came from the threshold.

“Dick, I need your help!”


	3. Jason's Flask

“Jason?” Dick gasped.

His brother was the last person he expected to see at his doorstep at 7:30 in the morning. Mostly because Jason was never a morning person, but also because as of lately, he lived in Gotham, too busy pretending to be an outlaw while secretly working for Batman.

Despite working side by side, the relationship between Jason and their father was still a work in progress, but compared to the vicious game of cat and mouse they spent the last few years playing, with Jason trying to hurt Bruce and Bruce trying to lock Jason up in Arkham, it was in an all-time high! This sudden change of heart came due to Bruce's death. For years, all Jason wanted to do was hurt his father, thinking that it would bring him the peace he needed so desperately, but when he finally got his wish, it wasn't at all what he expected. To everybody's surprise, Jason was the one who grieved their father's death the hardest and his pain allowed him to set aside his plans for revenge, and brought him closer to the rest of the family.

It was that moment that helped Dick realize, his family still had a chance, to maybe, one day, be somewhat normal...

“Dick, you know I don’t say this often, but I really need –” Jason stormed inside Dick’s apartment, “What is the brat doing here?” he pointed at Damian.

“I live here!” Damian barked indignantly.

“Did the old man die, again?” Jason turned to Dick even more confused than before, “nobody in this family tells me anything!”

Dick sighed.

“What do you want, Jason?”

“Right! Can we talk?” Jason turned his back on Damian who was still glaring at him, the 5 inch blade shaking threateningly in his hands, “Alone.”

“Excuse me? I’m his partner! I must know everything!” Damian jumped up on his chair, in an effort to appear taller and more threatening. It didn’t work…

“Sure you are, short stack!” Jason dismissed him.

“All right, enough!” Dick wisely decided it was time to put an end to this little argument before it escalated. “Damian, you’ll be late for school.”

Damian’s mouth fell wide open, shocked by this sudden betrayal. But thankfully, Dick had the sense to quickly add, “I’ll tell you everything later, _partner_.”

The boy stood still for a second, his eyes travelling back and forth between Jason and Dick, before he finally jumped down from the chair and grabbed his briefcase.

“You’ll tell me everything! _Everything_!” He waved his briefcase around threateningly.

“I promise” Dick held up his pinky and watched as Damian walked to the front door. “Oh and Damian, lose the knife. You can hurt any of those kids without it”

Damian growled under his breath like a frustrated lion cub, but did take the blade out of his sock and set it carefully on Dick’s hand.

“All of them” Dick looked down at him sternly.

The boy reached to his other sock and took out a second blade; followed by a third one he had somehow managed to hide under his left sleeve.

“I bet he has batarangs stuffed in his pockets” said Jason innocently; earning himself a death-stare from Damian, who then proceeded to empty his pockets of what had to be at least twenty batarangs. 

“Thank you” muttered Dick, examining Damian’s armory that he was now barely able to fit in his hands.

“Have fun at school! And don’t kill anyone! The old man hates when that happens...” cried Jason, as Damian slammed the door, leaving the two brothers alone in the apartment. “You’re indulging that brat way too much!” He turned to Dick, “Also, did you just let him go to school with a briefcase and a suit?”

Dick shrugged.

“Who are we to judge his style? You used to wear a Star Wars shirt every day to school for at least a month”

“Yes, but Star Wars was cool!” Jason limped to the couch, after he first made a stop by the kitchen to abduct a plate of left over banana pancakes. “Did you make these?” he looked down at them suspiciously.

“Yeah, what do you think?” asked Dick, watching Jason take a very careful bite from a pancake.

“Not bad.” Jason nodded, “Alfred’s are better.”

“Obviously… he’s had more practice!” Dick tried his hardest not to sound bitter, “Anyway, why are you limping?”

Jason let out a little laugh.

“I met up with a friend from the All Caste the other day, and she kind of tried to kill me”

“That’s what friends do” said Dick sarcastically. “Is that why you’re here? You came to complain to big brother for getting your ass kicked?”

“Don’t flatter yourself, ‘ _big brother_ ’! Before she tried to kill me, she asked me if I had a...” Jason stopped for a second to remove a rather big piece of eggshell from his mouth. “…a flask that was given to me when I left the League of Assassins.”

“So? Do you?”

“That’s the problem! I don’t know! I don’t remember anything from my time at the League, much less some random flask they gave me as parting gift.” Somehow Jason didn’t sound too worried about this whole situation.

“Why does she want it?” asked Dick, glancing at his watch. He was already late for work. This would be his third time this week.

“She didn’t say” Jason shrugged.

“And you didn’t ask?” Dick was now getting impatient.

“She had her foot on my throat, so I wasn't the one asking all the questions!”

Dick would never admit it if anyone ever asked him, but the mental image of somebody hurting his brother really bothered him.

“Okay… What do you need me to do?”

“Not much,” Jason’s face started going red, probably due to how much he hated asking for favors. “Just ask Bruce if he’s ever heard of some Assassin flask of some sort”

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” Dick got up and started looking for his coat.

“Because… things are good between us” his face grew even redder at those words, “I don’t have a single memory of what I did at the League, and for all I know, this flask could be an award for killing a hundred people in one weekend. It’s best to keep it a secret” said Jason and added rather cautiously “Also… I need to lay low for some time and I don’t think anyone will ever come to look here.”

“You want to stay here?” Dick gave up on searching for his coat to look at his brother, who immediately turned the other way to avoid his eyes.

Ever since he was a child, Jason really hated asking for help from his family, especially from Dick. Richard Grayson was the golden boy, the first Robin, the best Robin, and the favorite son. Trying to live up to the high expectations set by the perfect Boy Wonder, was hard enough and it certainly didn’t help that Bruce had the habit of comparing the two, turning even the littlest things into a competition for their father’s affection and approval.

“It’s okay, I can find another place” he muttered awkwardly.

“No!” said Dick quickly, “I’m happy you came to me, Jay. Just… try to get along with Damian; he’s had a rough last couple of months.”

“Promise!” Jason lifted his pinky, mimicking Dick.

“I need to go to work now. The Wi-Fi password is on the fridge, there are snacks… _everywhere_. So, make yourself at home!” Dick grabbed his keys and deciding that he didn’t need a coat after all, ran for the door, “Oh and… wash the dishes!”

* * *

Dick was sitting at his desk, dealing with the worse part of the job: paperwork (a punishment for his repeated tardiness). But even though his fingers were quickly typing about the series of robberies that took place the night before, while conveniently failing to mention the help of a certain Nightwing in the arrest of the robbers, his eyes were glued to his phone.

It was 2 o’clock in the afternoon and he still didn’t get a single phone call from Damian’s new school. Despite Dick’s optimistic nature, he didn’t exactly expect the day to go as smoothly as it did. In fact, he expected the opposite of smooth. He could almost see little Damian, pulling a katana out of thin air, along with the several other dozens of weapons Dick had failed to confiscate that morning, and fight his classmates to the death.

His anxiety was running so high that he completely forgot about the message he sent to Bruce regarding Jason’s flask, so he almost fell backwards when he saw Bruce’s name show up on his phone.

“ _Dick, we need to talk_ ” Bruce’s voice came from the other side of the line, slightly more cold and stern than usual.

“Okay… Is it about Damian’s school? Did they call you?” asked Dick, unable to shake away the mental image of Damian, running around with his blood stained Katana.

“ _No. It’s about the flask. Jason’s flask_ ”

Those words were met with complete silence. Nowhere in his message did he mention Jason’s name, all he asked was if he had ever heard of a flask from the League of Assassins. Damn him the greatest detective in the world.

Bruce didn’t give him the chance to lie.

“ _I need you to come to Gotham. Alone_ ”

“I can’t leave Damian” said Dick, even though he knew this wasn’t an invitation. It was an order.

“ _He’ll manage_ ” Bruce didn’t sound all that concerned at the prospect of his eleven year old son having to spend the night alone. “ _I’ll be waiting for you tonight_ ” and with those words he hang up the phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter - Adventures in babysitting


	4. Adventures In Babysitting

“Why can’t I come with you? I’m your partner!” Damian was whining ever since Dick told him about his little trip to Gotham.

“I know, buddy. But nothing fun will happen anyway. Bruce just wants to talk to me about something” said Dick, shoving his Nightwing costume inside a backpack, along with a spare set of clothes.

“Is it about Todd’s flask? Is that why you’re going?” asked Damian suspiciously.

Jason, who was lying on the couch watching, ‘The world of big cats’ on Netflix, chocked on his beer.

“You told him about my flask?” he eventually managed to say in between coughs.

“Of course, he’s my partner” replied Dick brightly, petting Damian’s head, while the boy stuck his tongue out at Jason. “But no, the flask is not why I’m going” he lied.

“Is it about me staying here?” The boy lowered his voice, almost as if he was afraid Bruce could hear him.

“I don’t think so, buddy” Dick reassured him and in one swift motion, zipped his bag and threw it over his shoulder. “All right, boys! I’m off to spank some bad guys’ asses!”

“Keep some for the brat” said Jason sarcastically.

Dick managed to grab Damian by the waist, just as the boy was about to jump into an attack.

“Jay, you promised!” he scolded his brother.

“ _Fine!_ ” Jason moaned and returned his attention back to the TV, where a lioness had escaped her pride with her two cubs in order to protect them from the other lions.

“Damian, you too made me a promise, remember?”

“Yeah…” Damian rolled his eyes.

Dick held up his pinky and waited for Damian to do the same, “you won’t go on patrol tonight and won’t do anything that might put your life in danger. Say it.”

“I won’t go on patrol and won’t do anything dangerous” the boy muttered every word like it caused him physical pain.

“Good” Dick smiled and with an impressive amount of speed, managed to plant a kiss on Damian’s head. The kiss was met with a low hiss. “Damian, since you’re the real adult here, you're incharge of Jay! I’ll be back tomorrow,” and with one last warning look towards Jason, he left.

The very second the front door closed, Damian ran into his bedroom as fast as his legs could carry him and not long after that, a series of strange sounds started coming from it, eventually forcing Jason out of the couch.

“Didn’t he _just_ tell you to not go on patrol” Jason sounded rather amused, as he leaned against the doorframe of Damian’s room, watching the boy pull up his Robin boots.

“I’m not going on patrol” spat Damian, carefully placing the mask over his face.

“So that’s just your pajamas, then?”

“Leave the jokes to Richard, humor doesn’t suit you” said Damian coldly and added in a very business-like tone, “I’m going to Gotham.”

A frown made its appearance on Jason’s face.

“Like hell you are!” He said, instinctively taking a step to the side, blocking the door, in case Damian decided to make a run for it.

“I don’t need your permission” hissed Damian.

“That might be true, but the only way you’re getting out of this house, is over my dead body.” Said Jason, hoping Damian wouldn’t call his bluff.

Just a few minutes ago he was sitting on a couch, eating pretzels and drinking a cold beer, while enjoying the heartwarming story of a lioness that fled her pride to protect her cubs. Last thing he wanted was to have a fist fight with an eleven year old.

The two of them spent a good minute staring at each other in complete silence, sizing their opponent and waiting for the right time to make their move.

“With pleasure” Damian jumped in the air, trying to land a kick to the side of Jason’s head, who barely managed to duck down.

“Wow… Dick forgot to mention that part when he asked me to babysit” said Jason sarcastically, stepping backwards in an effort to avoid another high kick, this time to his ribs.

“I don’t need a babysitter, now MOVE!” Damian yelled at the top of his lungs, unleashing a flurry of punches, two of which got Jason on the stomach.

That was not the punch of a 6th grader, he thought. After all, the kid did spend most of his life getting trained by the League of Assassins. But he was still a kid. A kid who was now fighting angry, and luckily, Jason knew firsthand how reckless an angry kid could become. 

It wasn’t long before Jason caught Damian’s foot halfway through a kick, and used his grip to slam the kid against the wall.

“I won’t fight you” he pointed a warning finger at Damian, who was already back on his feet and ready for a round two, “but I can’t let you leave the house either.”

“Then I’m gonna do all the fighting!” roared Damian, attempting another punch to the man’s ribs, but Jason caught his hand in midair.

“You’re a real brat, you know that?” Jason kept a tight grip around Damian’s tiny fist. “Dick trusted you to stay here, what would he say if he saw you acting like this?”

“I’m his partner! Richard _needs me!_ ” yelled Damian, trying everything from kicking to biting, in an effort to free himself. But Jason’s grip only kept getting tighter.

“A partner is only useful when he can take direct orders. You’re not acting like a partner. You’re acting like a liability.” Jason pushed the kid away, freeing his hand. “Go to Gotham! See how glad he’ll be that his partner disobeyed him. Go! I won’t stop you!”

Jason was bluffing, of course he was going to stop him, but he really wanted Damian to make the right decision on his own. It would certainly make the next few hours a lot easier.

Damian remained completely still even though Jason was no longer blocking the door.

“I’m going to watch a documentary about lions, feel free to join me if you want” Jason tried his best to not sound relieved by this sudden turn of events, while inside his head he kept thanking Alfred. The butler was the only person in the world that could beat some sense into his head and make him behave when he was a kid. And he didn’t do it with the use of threats and various punishments like Bruce did, Alfred would always smack him lightly upside the head and then proceed to tell him the truth about the consequences of his actions. He was the only person in the manor who ever took the time to be honest with him.

“I don’t” growled Damian.

“That’s a shame, you remind me of them…” Jason shrugged and returned to the living room, his ears stretched, trying to catch every little sound coming from the bedroom because even though he won this battle, the war was far from over.

* * *

Damian showed up about an hour later. He had changed back into his normal clothes, which Jason chose to take as a good sign. Maybe he won the war after all, he thought for a split second before quickly dismissing the idea.

With one eye on the TV and the other on Damian, he simultaneously saw a beautiful lioness devour her prey, and the kid take a seat down on the floor next to the couch, and pull out his phone.

“Aren’t you a little young to a have a phone?” Jason couldn’t help but point out.

“Aren’t you a little _too old_ to wear a Harry Potter shirt?” snapped back Damian, glancing over his shoulder at Jason’s shirt that had the words, ‘life’s a struggle when you’re a muggle’ printed on it.

“I’m not _that_ old!” complained Jason, petting his shirt affectionately.

“Your receding hairline could fool me” said Damian lightly.

Those words hurt more than any punch anyone could’ve ever thrown at him. How dare he?! He was a young man still in his twenties! He had no receding hairline! Did he?

“It’s probably because of that helmet you keep putting on. You should get rid of it” Damian kept punching away, “after all, your name is Red _Hood_ , not Red _Helmet_!”

“Don’t you have a bedtime?” Jason finally snapped.

“No.”

“That’s probably why you’re so short, babies need sleep to grow” said Jason, fighting the urge to stick his tongue out at Damian. 

The kid let out a little hiss which for some reason reminded Jason of the documentary he was still trying to watch.

“What do you want for dinner?” he asked, watching the lioness take a big bite out her prey to feed her cubs.

“I would rather starve than eat the junk food that you'll order” declared Damian and kept scrolling on his phone. 

“Who says we have to order? I know how to cook! In fact, I cook better than Dick” Jason caught himself bragging. “Do you like spaghetti?”

Damian ignored him.

“So spaghetti it is!” Jason marched purposefully across the living room and into the kitchen, and started opening random shelves in search of pans and ingredients. Dick didn’t exactly have a chef’s kitchen, but he did own all the essentials to make a simple yet delicious meal.

Jason could see the boy peaking at him from behind the screen of his phone.

“You know, when I was a kid, I used to help Alfred cook all the time, and my favorite thing to do was cut the vegetable” he said, “I’m gonna need someone strong to grate the tomatoes for the sauce, do you think you can handle that?”

“A toddler could handle that” snorted Damian, but to Jason's surprise, he got up on his feet and carefully approached the kitchen counter, where the man had laid out three tomatoes, a bowl, and a grater.

“It’s best if you learn how to cook now that you’re a kid because in a few years, you’ll be living by yourself and there won’t always be a butler to do that stuff for you” said Jason, watching the boy as he was grating the tomatoes.

“Father still has a butler” Damian pointed out.

“And that’s why the great batman can’t even boil an egg without setting the manor on fire. You’re already a better adult than him”

Damian nodded, looking rather pleased with himself.

* * *

It was a little after midnight when Dick finally arrived to the Wayne manor. He quickly made his way inside the garden and set off towards the back door that led directly to the Batcave, when Alfred’s voice came from behind him.

“Master Dick, it’s so good to see you” Alfred hugged Dick with a large smile on his face. It was a while since he last saw his kid, “Master Bruce will see you in his office.”

“In his office?” Dick repeated stupidly and with the face of a man who suddenly found himself in a hell lot of trouble, followed Alfred inside the manor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Family Secrets...


	5. Family Secrets

“That feels weird” muttered Dick, making his way inside Bruce’s office.

He had very few memories of that space and they all involved him getting in trouble, one way or another. He could still vividly remember coming home from school with his report card trapped in his shaky hand, and being forced to wait for hours in that office until Bruce showed up to scold him. Thankfully, Alfred always took pity on him and would secretly come to bring snacks and keep him company. So, even though he was now a grown man, his heart skipped a beat when Bruce asked him to take a seat on a chair across from his desk.

Alfred was there too, standing in the corner behind Bruce. Whatever the situation was, Dick knew it wasn’t good.

“We need to talk about Jason.” Bruce started in his low, gravelly voice.

“Did he do something?” Asked Dick nervously, glancing over at Alfred who kept avoiding his eyes.

“Yes,” replied Bruce, his fingers tapping on the desk as he was trying to find the right words to continue. “After Jason was brought back to life, he spent a few months living with the League of Assassins...”

“Bruce, whatever he did back then, he wasn’t himself, he doesn’t even remember –” Dick was about to protest but Bruce raised his hand to stop him.

“After he was sent to the All Caste, his memories were taken from him, that’s why he can’t remember anything of the time he spent amongst the Assassins.” he said rather harshly.

“Is that what’s in the flask? Jason’s memories?” Dick felt all the information clicking in his brain.

“Yes” Bruce shook his head, a look of disdain on his face.

“What’s in those memories?” For some reason, Dick felt that this was the only question worth asking, and if he judged by the expression on Alfred’s face, he was right.

“The All Caste were the guardians of the flask, but it was stolen from them three days ago” Bruce said instead, “they are afraid that _whoever_ has the flask, will give it to Jason”

“What’s in those memories, Bruce?” Dick pressed on.

Bruce took a breath and announced coldly, “His relationship with Talia al Ghul” 

“What kind of a relationship?” Asked Dick, more confused than ever. Talia al Ghul was the daughter of Ra’s al Ghul, but she was was also Bruce’s ex-girlfriend and Damian’s mom. What kind of relationship could she and Jason have shared back then?

Bruce looked at Dick like he was a complete idiot.

“An _intimate_ one” he said, treating the words as if they were a poison in his mouth. “Jason is Damian’s biological father.”

Those words were met with an awkward silence.

Dick wanted to ask if all that was a bad joke, but Bruce Wayne didn’t joke and deep down, that truth, no matter how crazy, felt right. The first time he met Damian, all he could think of was how much he reminded him of Jason. One of the reasons why Dick chose to take Damian under his wing, was to treat the guilt he felt all these years for not being a good enough brother to Jason. He failed to protect his kid brother and in Damian he saw a second chance to make things right.

“I have to tell Jason!” Dick flew out of his chair.

“No!” Bruce also stood up.

“Bruce, he has to know! He deserves it!” Dick found himself shouting.

“And he will. When the time is right.”

“He waited eleven years, that’s enough time in my book!” Dick turned his back and got ready to leave.

“Master Dick!” Alfred’s voice made him stop and turn on his heel.

“I can’t lie to him, Alfred. Not about this” Dick shook his head.

“He needs to understand how it happened if he’s ever going to be a real father to this boy. He needs those memories” explained Alfred gently.

Dick stared pacing around the office. He needed to do something. Every part of his being was telling him to hurry back to Bludhaven and tell the truth.

“I can’t do this to him. I can’t lie to him like _you_ did!” He pointed at Bruce. “Like you always do! To all of us!”

“You think I liked lying about this? You think I liked having this kid believe I’m his father while all I could think was how much he reminded me of Jason?” Bruce made a few threatening steps towards Dick, forcing Alfred to come between them. “I want the truth to come out just as much as you do! But not before Jason is ready to hear it!”

Dick sat back down on his chair and placed his face in his palms. How could he hide something like this from Jason? How could they all know and not tell the truth?

“It’s for his own good, Master Dick.” He felt Alfred’s hand on his shoulder.

“Do you know who stole the flask?” asked Dick, his voice coming out small and defeated.

“I have a good guess. But I forbid you to go after her!”

* * *

Dick arrived back to Bludhaven early the next morning. He opened the front door using his key and slipped quietly inside the apartment, in an attempt to not wake the others up. Instantly, a strong smell of garlic and tomatoes hit his nostrils. He walked to the kitchen, to find dirty dishes and pans, all covered with stains of red sauce.

 _Jason cooked his famous spaghetti_ , Dick thought with a sad smile.

“You’re back early” Jason’s sleepy voice came from behind him. “Daddy dearest is not good company, huh?”

“Yeah…” said Dick, trying to sound casual.

“You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost… wait, am I dead, _again_?” said Jason sarcastically, waving his hand in front of Dick’s face.

“You will be, if you don’t clean up this kitchen” Dick pushed his brother to the side, and started making coffee. “How did it go last night? How’s Damian?”

“Fine, for the most part.” Jason shrugged, deciding that Dick didn’t need to know about Damian’s little attempt to run away to Gotham. “He’s a good kid. A bit annoying, hard-headed, opinionated, but good....”

“Hmm… That’s the exact description I would give of you” said Dick matter-of-factly, setting down a coffee mug with a loud thud.

“So, what did Bruce want? Did you find out anything about my flask?” asked Jason, sounding rather uninterested.

“We’ll talk about that when Damian goes to school” Dick lowered his voice, as he heard Damian’s bedroom door creak open.

“Richard!” The boy ran to him excitedly, but managed to collect himself right before he reached his brother. “How is father?”

Dick glanced over at Jason who was in the process of stealing Dick’s coffee.

“Same old dad…” Dick replied with a sigh and quickly changed the subject. “Did you have fun last night?”

“Todd made spaghetti” said Damian in the sort of voice one would use to describe a horrendous crime.

“I can see that” cried Dick, waving his arms at the mess inside the kitchen.

“He also said he can cook better than you, and he called you, ‘ _old_ ’” Damian continued in the same accusatory tone.

“Are you snitching on me?” Jason gasped, looking very offended, “I cooked spaghetti for you, you ungrateful hobbit! And it was delicious!”

“It was _okay_ ” Damian corrected him. “The sauce was delicious. I made it.”

For a split second, Jason wanted to say something mean about the sauce, but Dick’s warning glare made him quickly reconsider.

“Good job, bud, now go get ready for school or you’ll be late”

“Do I have to go? It’s a waste of time. There’s nothing they can teach me anyway!” Damian started complaining.

“They might teach you some manners” suggested Jason, earning himself another glare from Dick.

“We talked about this, Damian. We need to do keep at least a part of our lives normal” and before Damian had a chance to turn this into a full-blown argument, he pushed the boy towards the bathroom.

* * *

“So that flask has my memories…” said Jason, after Dick told him everything he knew about the flask, except about the part of him being Damian’s biological father. “Who would want to steal that?”

“According to Bruce, Talia al Ghul has your flask”

“ _The_ Talia al Ghul? The brat's mom?” asked Jason sounding very surprised. Why would someone like Talia al Ghul care to take his memories?

“The one and only…” and seeing Jason’s face grow more confused, he added, “Apparently you two knew each other when you lived at the League. _Twelve years ago_ ” deep down Dick hoped Jason would do the math and come to the right conclusion by himself. But he was nowhere near it.

“Well… she can keep them” he said with a shrug.

Dick tried to hide his disappointment.

“Don’t you want to know what happened to you back then?” 

“Why would I give myself more reasons to hate my past?”

“Maybe some good things happened to you back then.”

“At the League of Assassins?” Jason let out a snort, “I doubt it. It’s probably something bad and she’ll try to keep it over Bruce’s head, like she did with the kid. I don’t want to get involved”

Dick felt a sudden urge to slap some sense into his brother but his hands were tight. He promised to Bruce and Alfred to let things take their natural course, but he wasn’t going to sit there and watch Jason ignore the existence of his son, or watch Damian grow up without knowing who his father is.

“That’s exactly why Bruce needs you to get back those memories, Jay” he said, Bruce's threatening, " _I forbid you to go after her!"_ ringing in his ears.

“Bruce wants us to find Talia al Ghul and get the flask?” asked Jason incredulously.

“Yes!” Dick lied with an amount of ease that made him uncomfortable.

Jason looked very conflicted. He did not want to explore his past because nothing good ever happened in it. All his memories, since he was a small child, were filled with pain and loneliness. Digging up more trauma, didn’t feel like an ideal way to spend his time. But on the other hand, he was a Robin. And a Robin couldn’t disobey a direct order… _for the most part._

“Fine…” Jason rolled his eyes, “When are we going?”

* * *

Dick parked his cop car in an empty spot across from Damian's school.

“You know, I will never get used to this side of things” admitted Jason from the passenger seat. For the last twenty years, every time he found himself sitting in a cop car, his seat was always at the back, and a pair of shiny handcuffs was stopping him from attacking the people next to him.

“You better do” said Dick in his no-nonsense voice that he only saved for when talking to Jason, and sometimes Damian.

The two brothers got out of the car and watched as the students of Bludhaven’s public school came running out of the building, as soon as the bell announced the end of classes. A few minutes later, they managed to spot Damian, walking behind a group of kids from his class, a visible frown on his face.

“Wow, he’s really small” noticed Jason with a hint of affection in his voice.

“So were you. You didn’t start growing until high school” Dick pointed out.

“Yeah, and look at us now” Jason stretched into his full height, just to annoy Dick who was about 3 inches shorter.

Damian reached them just in time to hear Dick’s elbow connect with Jason’s ribs.

“What are you doing here?” asked the kid, mostly referring to Jason who was now bent in half, muttering curse words.

“We’re going on a road trip,” answered Dick, motioning for everybody to get inside the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Jason's Memories


	6. Jason's Memories (Part 1)

They were halfway through their eight hour drive from Bludhaven to Metropolis, the place Talia al Ghul was last seen, and the sun was already setting. Jason had fallen asleep while reading a random book he found in the car and Damian hadn’t said a single word since Dick announced they were going to visit Talia.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Dick asked, peaking over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of Damian.

The boy was staring out the window and just shrugged his shoulders as a response.

The last time he spoke to his mother was the day she left him at the Wayne manor, and the true was… he didn’t miss her. What he felt was guilt. After his grandfather died, Talia gave him a mission, to stand by his father’s side and learn from him, but instead, he ran away from him the first chance he got. He chose to stay with Dick and be Robin. In just one year, he had failed both his parents.

Dick knew Damian long enough to understand the spins and turns his mind was taking. He could understand his pain and if he could just scream the truth then and there, he would. But in some ways, Bruce was right. This situation needed time. So, instead he said, “your mother will be pleased to see you.”

Damian growled.

“You were the best Robin a Batman could’ve asked for, I’m sure your mother knows that even if she won’t admit it.” Dick adjusted his mirror so that he could better see Damian’s face.

The boy was sitting at the backseat of the police car which was separated by a barrier, never before had he looked more like a caged animal.

Jason took out of his earphones and with one eye half open, turned to Dick, “how much longer?”

“A few hours… and no, I’m not stopping for a break, if you want to pee, there’s a cup” Dick pointed at the cup holder, where proudly stood a Starbucks cup that a few hours ago contained his coffee.

“Don’t you dare!” Damian’s threatening voice came from the backseat.

Jason rolled his eyes.

“What’s the big hurry anyway? Is there something you’re not telling us?”

“No.” Dick lied at once. There were a lot of things he was not telling them and he hated every second of it. But he had to do it for their own sake and he had to do it fast. Bruce didn’t trust him to keep the secret because Bruce didn’t trust anyone, so it wouldn’t be long until he figured out they were no longer in Bludhaven. To make matters worse, Metropolis was Clark Kent’s home city, which is why Dick kept checking the sky every once in a while, to make sure that the man in blue was not on his way to stop them.

“You know, if Timmy was here, we would have a full house” said Jason cheerfully.

“If Drake was here, the only thing we would have, is a _dead body_ ” growled Damian, kicking the back of Jason’s seat.

“Easy, tough guy” Jason laughed, “by the way, where is Tim?”

“He says he’s in college… but I think he is working on something” said Dick absentmindedly, chewing on his lower lip, “He’s a big kid now, so maybe he just needs some space.”

“ _Big kid Timothy Wayne_ ” Jason repeated with a hint of nostalgia, “time does fly.”

Dick sighed. It felt like yesterday when he was the only kid in the manor, going to school, getting in trouble, and being Robin… He didn’t appreciate how easy life used to be.

“Soon, even this one will grow out of the costume and Bruce will just have to get another Robin” Jason blurted out before Dick had the chance to stop him.

Those words struck a nerve. Every Robin before Damian was replaced and he knew very well he wouldn’t be the exception to the rule. He believed it for a while, when he first met his father. He thought that he would be Robin and then graduate to take over the cowl as Batman’s only blood son. But things didn’t work out quite as he expected and the only reason he was even allowed to be Robin in the first place, was because Dick took pity on him. Damian fell back onto his seat and continued staring out the window, while Dick was mouthing curse words at Jason.

“It’s okay, kid, you can be Red Hood one day” suggested Jason, half-jokingly.

“That’s worse than being nothing” muttered Damian, still pouting.

“I will never understand why you two don’t like each other, you’re basically the same person” pointed out Dick.

“Take that back!” Jason and Damian protested in one voice.

* * *

The rest of the trip continued smoothly, mostly because both Jason and Damian fell asleep, and didn’t wake up even after they reached the Metropolis Star Hotel. Driving in complete silence was a privilege Dick would never again take for granted.

He parked his police car at the only empty parking spot outside the hotel and immediately nudged Jason.

“We’re here” he said quietly as to not wake Damian up.

“ _Okay…_ ” Jason breathed heavily, still half asleep.

“I’m gonna go check if Talia is here, you stay with Damian”

Jason didn’t care one bit about this entire operation so he didn’t even consider retaliating. Plus, it was three in the morning and he was not in a mood to meet Talia al Ghul.

Dick stepped out of the car and walked to the entrance.

The hotel looked beautiful and expensive, with shiny floors and high ceilings, it almost made him wish he was wearing a suit and a tie, instead of jeans and a leather jacket.

“Excuse me, may I ask you a question?” he approached a young receptionist, the only member of staff as far as he could see. “Can you inform Miss Talia al Ghul that a friend is here to see her?”

“I’m afraid Talia al Ghul is no longer staying in our hotel” the girl responded without even bothering to check her computer.

“Did she leave any contact information?”

“That depends on who's asking”

“Jason Todd” said Dick without the slightest hesitation.

The girl showed her first sign of interest, “May I see some ID, please?”

“I’ll be just one moment”.

Dick rushed back to his car, opened the door on Jason’s side and without as much as a single explanation, grabbed his sleeping brother by the arm and pulled him out.

“When did you get so heavy?” he complained, once Jason was out of the car, walking alongside him as fast as his legs would allow him.

“When I stopped being _fifteen_!” Jason threw back at him.

“Here’s Jason Todd” Dick pointed over at his brother while setting Jason’s ID down on the desk.

The young woman spent a few good minutes examining the ID before giving it back. She then went out of sight for a few seconds, searching for something underneath her desk.

“This is for you” she handed a small envelop directly to Jason.

“Thank you very much” said Dick, wrestling the envelope out of Jason’s barely awake hands and quickly opened the envelope to find a piece of paper. It had nothing but numbers written on it. _Coordinates_ , he thought to himself. Talia was giving Jason directions to find the flask.

“Do you know where that is?” he put the paper in front of Jason’s face.

To his great surprise, Jason knew instantly.

“It’s where I died” he said with a yawn.

* * *

Next thing they knew, they were in an airplane, flying to the desert, to stand in the same place Jason Todd was once beaten to death by Joker and his beloved crowbar. Bruce must’ve already figured something was wrong because the moment they arrived to Qurac and opened his phone, Dick discovered more than twenty unanswered phone calls from both Bruce and Alfred. Dick wasn’t planning to return any of those any time soon. At least not until Jason had his memories back.

“I call shotgun!” screamed out Damian, the moment Dick took hold of the keys to their rental car.

“Infants don’t get to call shotgun” Jason grabbed Damian by the back of the shirt and pulled him away from the jeep.

The boy wasn’t happy. He grabbed the hand that Jason was holding him with and was about to dislocate the man’s arm. But unfortunately for him, Jason was bigger, stronger, and one step ahead. So before Damian had the chance to figure out what hit him, he found himself hanging over Jason’s shoulder.

“Guys…” Dick’s patience was running out. His phone kept buzzing nonstop from the inside of his pocket. They had no time for games. Bruce was more than capable to track all three of them, so he could show up at any moment. They had to find that flask and they had to find it fast.

“You can both sit at the front! Jay, you drive!” Dick kept trying to speak over Damian’s nonstop shouting and handed the keys to his brother.

“Why can’t I drive?” Damian was quick to complain, still hanging over Jason’s shoulder. “I know how!”

“Damian, not now” It was apparent that Dick was losing his patience.

An angry Richard Grayson was a rare and unpleasant sight, so the kid decided to not push it.

Jason gave Damian a couple of light smacks on the butt before setting him down.

“Let’s get this over with” he motioned for the others to get in the jeep.

* * *

Jason didn’t need a GPS. He knew how to get to that place better than he would’ve liked. Of all the memories Talia al Ghul could’ve taken from him, he wished it was this one. Despite the trip to the Lazarus pit, despite the many years that have passed since then, he still remembered every detail of that day. He remembered disobeying Bruce and running off to the desert. He remembered his hope and excitement to see his mother alive again, turn into disappointment, once he figured out it was all a lie orchestrated by Joker. He remembered lying in that warehouse, waiting for his father to come and save him... He remembered it all as if it was yesterday.

“That’s it. That’s the place” he stood in the middle of nowhere, next a small warehouse “that’s where she found me” he dropped down on his knees and began digging. The faster he got what Bruce wanted, the faster he could leave that place and never come back.

Dick and Damian also followed his example, and together they dug for a few minutes; the bright sun burning the back of their necks.

“I guess that’s it” Jason stopped to wipe the sweat from his forehead, after he saw a glow coming from the ground.

Dick dug around it and eventually pulled out a rather small silver flask. It looked regular as can be and if he ever saw one abandoned at the streets of Bludhaven, he wouldn’t think twice about it.

He instantly handed it over to Jason, who took hold of it with a look that resembled disgust.

“It’s for you own good, Jay, trust me” said Dick, seeing the hesitation on Jason’s face.

“Yeah, I know”

“Just drink it already so we can go and actually do something useful” whined Damian.

Jason opened the bottle. There was a tiny note stuck inside.

“ _I hope one day you forgive me_ ” Jason read out loud.

Damian grimaced. In all the years he knew his mother he had never heard her apologize to anyone. Why would she apologize to someone like Jason Todd?

“Drink it” urged him Dick and took a few steps back, in order to give Jason more space.

“Well… bottoms up!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Jason's Memories (Part 2)


	7. Jason's Memories (Part 2)

Jason stood completely still, waiting for something to happen, but nothing did. He still felt like himself. No new memories, no new trauma… nothing.

“Well, that’s disappointing” he looked around him expecting to see Dick’s equally confused face staring back at him. “Dick?” His brother was nowhere to be seen and neither was Damian.

He kept yelling for a while, when all of the sudden, a thought made him stop. He was no longer in the desert. He was standing on top of a cliff. Underneath him, he could see waves menacingly crashing into the rocks, over and over again, each time destroying themselves in the process. He knew this place. He was at the Infinity Island, also known as the League of Assassin’s headquarters.

“That’s where you are! I was looking all day for you!” he heard a voice coming from behind him. He turned around to see her. Talia al Ghul looked beautiful as well as angry. She quickly made her way to the edge of the cliff and stood by his side.

“Are you planning to jump again?” she asked him coldly.

“No, I’m not that predictable. I just wanted you to worry about me” he felt the words escape from his mouth.

“You’re such a brat” Talia smacked him lightly on the arm. “Don’t do anything foolish, Jason, your future is far too bright. You will accomplish great things here with us.”

“Batman used to think the same, but turns out he was wrong”

“You were never meant to be a Robin. You are no sidekick!”

Jason leaned forward and pressed his lips against Talia’s, “Thank you for the pep talk.”

_There was a flash that made his head spin._

When he opened his eyes he was no longer standing on the cliff. He was in a large golden room, surrounded by hundreds of people in uniforms, all humming under their breaths. They were meditating. Talia was seated in the middle of the room next to her father. He kept trying to catch a glimpse of her but Sensei was standing over his head, forcing him to concentrate.

“Focus!” he heard Sensei’s voice at the same time he felt the bo staff hit the back of his head.

_And another flash!_

It was nighttime and he was swimming in the lake. She was there too. Her hands were wrapped around his neck, tenderly pressing her body against his.

“My father has given me a mission” she was saying, “He wants an _heir_ ”

“He wants you to have a child?” Jason felt his entire body go numb, “With whom?” he tried to hide a note of jealousy in his voice.

“You.”

“Me? I didn’t think Ra’s al Ghul liked me so much…”

“He doesn’t” Talia reassured him, “but you know how he feels about Bruce, that’s his revenge plan”

“I can get behind that” he pulled Talia closer to him, “But why stop at one? I always wanted at least four kids”

_And another flash!_

He was sitting on the hard floor of Ra's al Ghul's quarters, rocking himself back and forth, his head between his hands. The door in front of him had remained completely shut for the last twelve hours and all he could hear was Talia’s screaming.

“You can come in” Ra’s al Ghul’s voice made him jump up and run inside the room.

Talia was lying on the bed, she looked exhausted but pleased. Around her were standing Sensei and Ra’s, and in his hands he was holding what looked like a messy pile of blankets.

“You did well” Ra’s al Ghul walked to Jason and placed the load of blankets into his arms. A little head, full of jet black hair was sticking out of them. Jason couldn’t help but smile as he looked down at his son, his heart still racing.

“You have ten minutes” Sensei instructed and along with Ra’s, left the room.

“He’ll need a name” said Talia, making space on her bed for Jason.

“How about… _Anakin_?” he suggested hopefully, watching the baby stir in his sleep.

Talia sighed, “For the last time, Jason, I’m not naming my son after Darth Vader!” and before Jason had the chance to open his mouth, she added, “Or Voldemort!”

“Fine… but Tom Marvolo Todd does sound cool” said Jason, but seeing as Talia didn’t look anywhere near convinced, he went for a different pitch, “I can’t imagine him being anything other than a little demon, so _Damian_ seems appropriate”

“ _Damian_ ” Talia repeated thoughtfully, “I like it.”

“Welcome to the world, little Damian, one day you will be the king of it!”

_And another flash!_

Jason was standing inside the Chamber of All, between Talia and a small, frail-looking woman by the name of Ducra.

“It’s only temporary” Talia was saying stiffly. “A few months at best.”

Jason nodded. He knew she was lying. Not only to him, but also to herself. Ra’s al Ghul got what he wanted; an heir to his legacy, and now Jason was just being in the way. In fact, he wouldn’t be surprised if he had asked Talia to kill him.

“You can’t go back to the League. You must stay here, until I return from my mission” Talia warned him.

“I will make sure of it” said Ducra, grabbing Jason’s arm with an impressive amount of strength, as he was about to protest.

“What about Damian?”

“What about him?”

“He’s my son. I’m not going to just leave him” Jason felt a knot starting to form in his throat at the thought of abandoning his infant son.

“It’s hard for me too, but I know my father will care for him and raise him right” she said, trying to sound confident. Her father was sending her on a mission. Away from the League and away from her son because according to the rule of the assassins, a child raised by their parents can only turn out weak and soft. She had no choice but to obey him, but in her heart, she knew she was making a mistake.

“I know what it feels like to grow up alone. I had two dads and they both abandoned me, but I’m different than them. I’m not going to leave Damian”

“I was afraid you were going to say that” Talia leaned forward and took hold of Jason’s face, and stared deeply into his eyes, as if she was trying to hypnotize him. “I’m sorry, Jason. It’s for your own good” her lips touch against his… but this time it all felt different…

A darkness came over him and overtook everything around him.

* * *

“Jason! Jason! Wake up!” he heard Dick’s voice calling from what felt like a different universe.

“Maybe he’s dead…” a second voice echoed in his head.

“For the last time, Damian, he’s not dead!” Dick’s voice scolded.

_Damian…_

Jason opened his eyes. He was lying on the ground inside the abandoned warehouse. Dick must’ve dragged him in there while he was unconscious.

“Are you okay?” Dick hovered over him, looking like he lost at least five years out of his life in the last ten minutes.

“He’s fine…” Damian rolled his eyes, “can we go eat now?”

Jason stretched his arms forward and in one swift move caught Damian by the back of his neck, and pulled him down on his chest, trapping the boy in a rather aggressive hug.

“Richard! He’s crazy! Help! He lost his mind!” Damian was shouting, trying to wiggle himself out of the hug but to no avail.

Dick didn’t help. Instead, he stood back and watched as a thin stream of tears were dripping quietly from the corners of Jason’s eyes. He didn’t know what his brother saw in those memories or how much they would affect him, but at least the truth was now out in the open, and they could slowly start working on fixing things.

“Let me go!” Damian was still yelling.

Jason finally loosened his grip and Damian instantly took the chance to free himself. Jason, too, got up from the ground and turned around to wipe his tears without the kid seeing him.

“ _You knew_ ” he mouthed at Dick.

“ _Bruce told me when I went to Gotham_ ” whispered Dick, and tried to come closer to him but Jason gestured him to stay away. He wasn’t mad at Dick. He was mad at everybody, but his brother had the bad luck of being the only person there.

“Richard, pick up your phone already!” Damian complained, as Dick's phone started buzzing for what felt like a thousandth time.

“Is it him?” asked Jason threateningly,

“Yeap”

“This wasn’t a mission. He didn’t know you’ll bring me here…”

“Yeap”

“You must be kidding me!" Damian leapt forward and tried to steal Dick’s phone out of his pocket. "Father doesn’t know we’re here?” 

“DON’T CALL HIM THAT” Jason snapped, unable to control himself.

“Jason!” Dick gave him a warning look.

“You were never the poster boy for sanity, Todd, but that flask really messed you up” said Damian, almost sympathetically.

“Damian, can you go start the car?” Dick threw the car keys over at Damian.

“Will you let me drive?” asked Damian, his eyes glistening with excitement.

What Dick wanted to say in that moment was, “no way in hell” but he knew that those words wouldn’t help take Damian out of the room, so instead he went with, “We’ll see…”

He was right. Damian no longer cared about Bruce's phone calls or Jason's weird behaviour, and instantly ran out of the warehouse.

The second he was out of earshot, Jason grabbed an empty crate and smashed it against the wall, using every bit of his strength.

Dick stood back and watched as his brother continued to break havoc, destroying every object that was closest to him. Rusty nails and decayed wood flying all over the place.

“HOW COULD THEY DO THIS TO ME?” he roared.

“Jay…”

“THEY STOLE MY SON, DICK!” Jason fell down to his knees, unable to stop the tears from streaming down his face. “I held him in my arms… I promised to protect him…”

Dick could feel his heart breaking into a thousand pieces. In all the years he knew Jason, he had never seen him cry. Even as a child, no matter how much he would get hurt, he always tried to hide his pain and put on a brave face. After all, he was a Robin, and a Robin could never allow himself to look weak.

“I don’t have the answers you need, Jay” Dick kneeled next to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, “but I will help you get them, I promise”

“I picked his name, you know” said Jason, trying to calm himself. “He was six months old when Ra’s decided to get rid of me. I was so excited to see him walk and talk for the first time… and they just took that from me”

For a brief moment, Dick was very happy that Ra’s al Ghul was dead, for he could see the killer he once was, re-appear in Jason’s eyes.

“What am I supposed to do now?” Jason cried.

“I don't know. But we’re gonna figure it out”

* * *

Dick would never admit it but suddenly he missed the fights between Jason and Damian more than anything in the world. Everything was better than the asphyxiating silence that overtook their entire ride back to the airport. Dick was driving, occasionally glancing over to his side at Jason, who was sitting pale-faced, looking like the kind of man who was killed and brought back to life. The only times his eyes would show any signs of life, was when Damian would shift in his seat or open his mouth to let out a displeased hiss.

The kid’s mood was just as bad as Jason’s and if Dick wasn’t too busy with keeping an eye on his brother, he would be very worried. But in his naive mind, Damian was just upset that he wasn’t allowed to drive the car.

It was four o’clock in the morning when Dick drove into the airport’s parking lot and set off to find the man he had rented the car from, while Jason stayed behind with Damian who had just managed to fall asleep in the last twenty minutes. For a few seconds Jason contemplated whether or not he should wake him up. He looked so peaceful, small, and innocent; reminding nothing of the little terror he was while awake. Finally, he decided to let him sleep.

Jason didn’t have any memories of his biological father, at least not ones that were worth remembering. As for Bruce, most of his memories with him were about fighting villains and arguing over homework. But there was one particular memory he always held close to his heart. Bruce Wayne loved movies, usually the old and boring ones, so every other month, he, Jason, Alfred, and occasionally even Dick, would gather in the TV room and watch one. And each time, five minutes before the end credits, Jason would pretend to fall asleep because he was too lazy to climb the stairs to his bedroom. Bruce knew of this little trick but had never called him out on it. Instead, he would stoically pick him and carry him to his bed.

Jason placed one arm around Damian's back and the other one just below his hip, and careful not to wake him up, pulled the boy out of the backseat and onto his chest. Before he had time to process what was happening, Damian wrapped his arms tightly around Jason's neck and rested his head on his shoulder before continuing his deep sleep.

Suddenly, all the rage he felt towards Ra’s al Ghul, Bruce, the League, the All-Caste, and Talia, as if was healed. All the thoughts of revenge escaped his mind in an instant, and now all he wished was that he could stop time and enjoy this moment for the rest of his life.

* * *

The airport was mostly empty when they arrived. Within ten minutes they had passed security and were standing right in front of their gate with more than two hours to spare.

“I forgot how boring airports are” said Dick, stretching on his seat.

Jason didn’t mind all the waiting. He was up on his feet, slowly pacing pack and forth, with Damian still asleep in his arms. His only fear was that the boy would wake up and this moment would be over.

“We should’ve stolen one of Bruce’s private jets” continued Dick with an evil glow in his eyes.

Jason grimaced at the mention of his father’s name, something that Dick didn't fail to notice.

“I texted him” he said matter-of-factly. “So now he knows that you know.”

“Whose idea was it to lie? His or Talia’s?”

Dick hesitated. Jason’s relationship with their father had always been rocky to say the least, but for the last few months, things were starting to look good. They even worked together. Seeing it all go back to hell was difficult.

“When Talia brought Damian to the manor, she wanted for Bruce to find you and give him to you. Bruce refused” said Dick. “He didn’t think you were ready.”

“He never thought much of me, did he?” said Jason, rubbing his son’s back softly, as he kept pacing back and forth.

“Dick, I know I don’t say this often enough, but… thank you”

“What for?”

“For everything you’ve done. You’re a good brother… I’m sorry for being such a jerk to you as a kid”

“Well, I guess being a brat runs in the family” answered Dick playfully. “You’re gonna have to tell him the truth someday soon”

Jason shook his head. “How am I supposed to do that? He hates me”

“Well… he hates everyone” said Dick fairly, “he even hated me when we first met”

“But you quickly won him over because everybody likes the golden boy. I’m a nobody to him” said Jason bitterly.

“You’re his father, and I know you can be a damn good one” Dick paused thoughtfully for a second, “or at least better than Bruce…”

Jason fought to contain his laugh, out of fear of waking Damian up. “Yeah… Bruce did set the bar pretty low”

“Come stay at Bludhaven with us for a while” Dick suggested. “Spend more time with him and once he warms up to you, you tell him the truth”

Jason nodded.

“Oh and you’re just in time to raise him through his teenage years. So lucky…” Dick laughed mockingly.

But Jason did consider himself lucky. Despite all the years he lost, he finally had a chance to create a relationship with his son, and be the father he wanted since the day he held him in his arms eleven years ago.

“ _Welcome to the world, Damian, dad will make you the king of it!_ ” he whispered into Damian’s ear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, and thank you so much for reading this far!  
> This is the final chapter, but I do plan to write a sequel to this story. The sequel will be about the bonding between Damian and Jason (and Dick) in Bludhaven, and eventually about Damian finding out who his real father is. 
> 
> Thank you again all for reading and for all the sweet comments. Hope you are all healthy and safe, and have a wonderful day :)


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